Hargreaves helping to unlock canal stretch
A PROJECT by Halifax-based waterways restoration experts Hargreaves has reached a major milestone.
Hargreaves Lock Gates (HGL) installed the first new lock gates to the Cotswold Canals Projects at Ryeford Double Lock near Stonehouse, Gloucestershire. It was called in to carry out the authentic recreation of 200-year-old lock gates on this historic stretch. Six of the gates, each of which weighs up to 2.25 tonnes and measures up to 20ft (6m) by 10ft (3.25m), were hoisted into position by a long-reach jumbo crane.
This is the first time in over 100 years that new gates have been hung at this double lock. The £600,000 contract will see HGL craft a total of 22 pairs of gates. When reopened, the 37 miles of the Cotswold Canals will reconnect the Thames and Severn rivers for the first time in 70 years.